By the time the Nuggets hit the court against the Milwaukee Bucks in their second game after the all-star break, they'll already know whether they are officially past the Andre Miller era.

And if he is dealt by 1 p.m. Thursday, the NBA's trade deadline, it will go down as one of the most challenging deals Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly ever made.

Connelly is dealing from a position of no leverage, so the Nuggets are getting one-sided offers. Miller has wanted out of town since an episode Jan. 1, when he publicly ripped coach Brian Shaw during a game against Philadelphia.

The veteran point guard has not been around the team since, while the Nuggets have tried to move him. But as of Wednesday, they weren't close to a deal.

It gets trickier if the Nuggets can't deal him by the deadline. Neither Miller nor the Nuggets want him to stay. Instead, the Nuggets would be forced to waive him. If he clears waivers, he would be free to negotiate with any team.

In part because of that, other NBA teams can hold a hard line with deals in their favor, figuring they could just claim him off waivers or, if he cleared, could sign him outright as a free agent.